LOS ANGELES (CNN) -- A plea of not guilty was entered Monday for avowed white supremacist Buford Furrow Jr. at his arraignment on federal charges of murdering Philippine-American postal worker Joseph Ileto shortly after a shooting spree at a Jewish community center near Los Angeles.

With Ileto's family in the courtroom, a magistrate assigned the murder case to federal Judge Richard Paez, with a tentative trial date of October 12.

Paez will set the formal date.

Furrow, 37, clad in an orange prison jumpsuit and wearing eyeglasses, stood between his public defenders, Sean Kennedy and Marilyn Bednarski. He quietly answered "yes" when asked if he understood his rights and had read the indictment against him.

Furrow's hands were handcuffed in front of him throughout the hearing. He did not look at the audience, which included Ileto's sisters and a nephew.

Authorities say Furrow confessed to shooting Ileto because the postal worker was not white and worked for the federal government. Furrow is charged with murder, using a firearm in a crime of violence and being a felon in possession of a firearm.

After trial on the federal charges -- two of which carry a possible death sentence -- Furrow will face state charges in California of murder, attempted murder and carjacking.

Although Monday's arraignment was only for Ileto's killing, the government could add hate crimes allegations that would encompass the August 10 shooting that wounded five people at the Jewish Community Center in suburban Granada Hills.

Prosecutors say Furrow walked into the center and began firing randomly, wounding three young boys, a teen-age girl and a 68-year-old grandmother working as a receptionist.

Authorities say he then drove to the suburb of Chatsworth. There he allegedly approached Ileto, asked about mailing letters, drew a gun and shot the postal worker to death.

A day later, Furrow showed up in Las Vegas where he turned himself in.